Cafeteria Style

Hey Guys

I missed y’all so much

I had quite the busy day and feel like I traveled over the rainbow and back. It was actually weird to come home. Felt weirder than when we were gone at Xmas for 9 days!

Everything went well for my first day. My commute was – simply put – painful. But I think I’ll get used to it. And my Twilight audiobook will definitely help. [Side note: I’m not all that impressed with Twilight five chapters in, but I’m very excited to see the movie just because of all the buzz]

Everyone at work was sooooo nice. I felt very welcome!! I’ve got a great list of things they’d like me to do, including standardizing my baked oatmeal recipe for their breakfast rotation, making a nutrition education video that will be broadcast in the schools, coming up with a gourmet menu for a dinner they are catering, and lots of food photography 🙂 Squeezed in-between I’ll be completing all of my boring DI competencies like doing cost analyses and writing a business plan.

MY OTHER RECIPES

After an orientation meeting, my preceptor and I set out to visit some of the schools in the system. (There are 35 in total, I believe!)

Since I don’t have kids, I don’t think I’ve been INSIDE a middle school since I was in one myself!! It was so cool to jump right back into the atmosphere of a middle school cafeteria.

One major perk of working in a school system: we get to eat lunch at the schools everyday! That might not sound that appealing to eat in the cafeteria, but I am so impressed with the quality and nutrition of the food they have that it’s definitely a fun plus (and no packing lunches for me!) They have all whole wheat breads and pastas and the food is very fresh. They use canola oil and always have salads and fresh fruits + veggies on the line.

We sampled some of the whole wheat baked ziti, a whole wheat roll and some baked potato wedges at 10:45!! I wasn’t really hungry for a real lunch yet, but this was a great snack to tide me over. [I didn’t eat all of those – just a bite or two of each]

Next stop: the walk-in freezers and fridges! It was funny to hear all the foodservice terms we’ve been learning about being put into practice.

They also have a great fruit + veggie snack program funded by a grant at three of the schools. They get a fresh fruit/veggie for a snack that is in addition to lunch. Here are carrots and lite dressing ready to go

And pineapples ready to be chopped for the next day!

We toured a few more schools and then had lunch at the second elementary school around 12:30

I requested a small scoop of ziti, two potato wedges, “a huuuuge pile of salad”, dressing on the side, and another of those delicious WW rolls. Plus CHOCO MILK!

[Yes, the staff knows about the blog so my camera was not given too many silly looks!]

I only had a few sips of my milk but it was the perfect dessert

A while later we did even more taste-testing at the high school. Frozen wild blueberries sprinkled with a light dusting of crunchy sugar sparkle were served as a side dish on the line. These were partially frozen and were SO GOOD! When you think about typical desserts, it’s cool to think of high schoolers getting so many nutrients from these [although I’m not sure how many students actually eat them for dessert as I did 🙂 ]

Next taste test: a few recipes one of the supervisors was testing for the menu rotation. He has a culinary degree and these were both fantastic. I had a bite of each.

Primavera Pasta Salad and Black Bean Salsa (likely to be served with corn chips)

OK, it seems like I ate all.day.long….well, I guess I did! But I had small tastes so I never really felt that full.

Next up was a vegetable soup made in-house

Warmed me right up ’cause I was fa-reezing

I had forgotten how looooooooooooooooooooong working days are. I was ready to take a nap at 2PM from being up so early but the workday was not even close to being over!

4:30 finally did come around and I climbed into my car and made the 1.15 hour journey home.

Super Matt had the house all cozy for me (space heater on!!) and we started to assemble dinner right away. I made the call to skip yoga. My back has felt A-OKAY all day, but since so many of you recommended not pushing it, I’m giving another day to whatever might have broken yesterday. Plus Emily had to cancel, so it worked out well.

I had the most perfect dinner of my very favorite foods:

A spinach, pear, veggie, and goat cheese salad with hard-boiled egg and hummus

With a side of leftover acorn squash. The best acorn squash I have ever had!

And a piece of Cinnamon Raisin Walnut toast with Superfruit Crofter’s spread

To be honest, I wasn’t really that hungry when I got home and wolfed this down in complete emotional relief to be back at home. At least I was emotionally eating superfoods!

Matt had an egg salad sandwich that was phenomenal as well

I didn’t get that bubble bath last night because I ran out of time, so it’s def. on the agenda tonight. Plus reading in bed and lights out before 9 so I can get up at 4:45 to start the cycle all over again!

It’s so neat to see “behind the scenes” in the cafeteria. I had no idea there were so many healthy choices! It wasn’t like that when I went to school. Rarely would they have a salad day. It’s amazing how times have changed so quickly. I’m not that old 🙂

Your internship sounds pretty awesome! I’m glad they’re down with the blogging thing, because I’m looking forward to reading about what you’re doing. And that looks NOTHING like cafeteria food as I remember it…wow.

Honestly, I thought Twilight was really lame, and poorly written on top of that, but I read it because I worked with 12 year olds, and then because it was the only books we had while we were backpacking.

I agree that the Twilight books aren’t particularly well-written, but somehow they were so addictive for me! I enjoyed the books but thought the first movie was only mediocre at best. I haven’t seen New Moon, but hear it is much better.

Your rotation sounds really interesting! I am amazed at the quality of the food offerings at the schools you visited today. The lunches at the middle school/high school I sub at aren’t nearly so good, though our small school district wouldn’t be able to employ someone w/a culinary degree! It will be interesting to see how the different schools you work at on this rotation compare w/each other. Are all the schools you’ll be working with in the same district/system?

It takes a week or two to get used to being at work all day. Soon it won’t seem as long to you. It was fun seeing what they’re serving in schools these days. Much different than what we had that’s for sure.

Hey Kath,
I’m in my DI right now in Long Island, NY. I completely understand how you feel, it’s exhausting being an intern yet really interesting at the same time. I just completed both my institutional and school food service rotations and the food served in your district looks MUCH better than where I was! My advice would be to ask lots of questions and don’t be afraid to jump in and help out! The time will fly by and you’ll have alot more fun!
Elizabeth

p.s. I LOVE hearing about your DI experiences every day – I’m in the process of applying for internships up in Canada at the moment, so its really great to hear someone else’s experiences. I try to read some other dietetic intern’s blogs, but haven’t found too many. Is there any that you’ve found that you read?
Thanks!

As an elementary school teacher I am so impressed with the quality of school food you saw! I am constantly appalled by how unhealthy the food they give our kids is. Most of our kids are on the free lunch program so they eat breakfast and lunch at school, which is basically pure sugar. I hope eventually my district works with people like you! Glad you enjoyed your first day!

Long day indeed! My mom works in an elementary school and it always amazes me when she tells me about the foods the kids eat. They even had optional FETA the other day?! I remember my school lunches — leftover pizza, chicken fries, pancakes that were like rubber and apple crisp that was utterly unrecognizable. Kids now have got it made!

This is really neat! I interned with the food servise director at my school every morning last year… (ugg I don’t want to think about it- waking up at 4:45 to get there on time for an hour or so of interning before school started at 7:10…)
Anyway, everytime whole wheat, vegetarian options, gluten free options, FRESH fruit were brought up the answer was “too expensive. Nobody would like it.” It’s so refreshing to see schools incorporating these foods because kids WILL eat it!! Heck, look at what they eat now!! It’s not exactly a gastronomic experience.
Good luck with your commute… it sucks but soon it starts to fly by! (when I’m driving I practice speaking French ;-))

I wasn’t that impressed with Twilight at first either, but I’m willing to bet you’ll get sucked in to the story. Honestly, the writing itself isn’t good, but the story yanks you in! I read a TON of books and enjoyed the Twilight series purely for entertainment value. Don’t expect too much in terms of literary greatness and I bet you’ll enjoy them too!

I know how you feel about the super long commute! Last semester I did my student teaching at a school that was an hour away from home. But It was a wonderful experience and wouldn’t change it for anything! I will be thinking about you and sending you good vibes while you make your commute!!!

Hi Kath – This is so great to hear about your experiences! I understand that your internships are required in order to get your R.D., but I was just wondering what is your role at the school? What type of work will you do throughout the day? Would love to hear more details!

Color me jealous. I teach Head Start in DC and the food we get is NOTHING like the food at that school. There’s a huge disparity in school foodservice. I’m glad your schools are moving in the right direction.

Wow the school lunches where I taught were never that good. And I’m glad that the school staff knows about your blog and will understand all the food pics. How cool for us to see all the great stuff those schools are offering to teach kids healthy habits.

it is so great to here that the school serves healthy food! this is an issue that really worries me…and i remember lots of school lunches involving greasy pizza and cheesy fries, back when i was a child. sigh.

by the way, back in the 80s, did you know that ronald reagan pushed for schools to consider ketchup a vegetable???

Thank you for sharing your day! I am a first year teacher at a middle school and I am seriously bothered by the food that is served at school. I would NEVER eat in the cafeteria. I am glad to hear about schools that do serve healthy food. Your job sounds awesome. When I went back to college I was seriously torn between studying dietetics or art education (funny choice, I know) and I chose art ed, but I still LOVE food. And, nutrition is so important for growing kids!

I work at an elementary school and I have seen their lunches – nothing like those lunches you wrote about. And many parents send kids to school with lunches full of junk and sugar.. and then they wonder why the kids are having such a hard time paying attention..it drives me crazy. But i’m glad to see there are schools that serve nutritious AND delicious (because what child is going to eat something that tastes bad) food!

It is extremely refreshing to see such healthy eats available in public schools. Nothing but crap was available when I was in HS. Stuff like 24 oz. sodas, cookies, pizza, etc. It’s nice to see some efforts being made toward the greater nutritional good.

Wow! That food looks really good! I am a senior in high school and our school has decent food (mostly healthy breakfast choices) but it is definately not as tasty as that looks! However, I do bring lunch to school but I have had the lunches before. Maybe it’s because I’m in California, where there’s a bigger debt, thus less money for healthy, quality meals?

Are those styrofoam trays and bowls? If they are you have a huge chance to lead! Bring your own bowl, plate, silverware and cup and lead by example. Reduce. Reuse. – I have the use to write Peace Out, but that might just be becuase you channeled my inner middle schooler.

Yes and funny you should mention them because that’s the first thing I noticed. We used to recycle everything when I was in middle school, so I didn’t know why they were throwing them away. One of my projects is now to research foam alternatives and the cost and labor implications 🙂

It sounds like a busy day for you – I can understand being tired! I hope that you get lots of good rest tonight! The food that they serve in the school system looks extremely nutritious AND delicious, too.

I just wanted to say hi! I’ve been reading your blog for awhile and I just wanted to say that I love it 🙂 I finished my DI last June, I totally remember my school food service rotation, your pictures brought back all my foodservice memories! We got to try their food as well and it was so nice to not pack everyday 🙂 Anyway, have fun with it and good luck with the rest of your internship. You’ll do great!!

The food looks yummy. Way better than when I was in junior high. Community and school rotations are less than appealing to me.. I hope through your experience I can get more interested in that side of dietetics. 🙂

wow the schools out there must be an exception the lunches here in Ca are awful, I wish I could send you a copy of the menu. I let my 5 yr old buy once a week and feel bad about that! The other 4 I pack her lunch. We looked at the menu for Friday: Fried bean burrito or chicken nuggets, I say yuck, she says please, I say NO. BTW the breakfast for Friday: Bar shaped doughnut, and the snack for the after school program a Brownie. Imagine , some kids will eat all this and then have Mcdonalds or Pizza for dinner. I hope the choices your schools have will make it over to us soon. I found the link: http://www.nhusd.k12.ca.us/node/72

4.45! OUCH! You are Superwoman!
Your day loos awesome yesterday, so fun! I think, despite the long days and that, you’re going to have a great time. It’s SO much easier to work hard when the work is fun 🙂
Well done on your first day! (and the delicious dinner, that does look good)
Have a good one tomorrow!

Twilight is really just pure entertainment. Keep going the story will draw you in. I agree with another post the first movie was okay but if you read the book it was easier to understand why Edward made that face he did most of the movie..lol. Can’t wait for the second one but I am totally team Jacob.
Can’t believe all the good stuff at that school. I remember mostly pizza, tater tots, and hash browns at mine..lol.

I have to agree with everyone else, That food is AMAZING for a school system. When I was straight out of college I was an AmeriCorp member, stationed at an Elementary School. My main focus was on literacy, but as a “volunteer” i did a little bit of everyone, including helping the lunch lady set out lunch. Because I was a small charter school (public though, and part of the school district) the school wasn’t big enough for a kitchen, so everything had to be delievered each day.
The one thing I couldn’t believe, and still can’t is that tater tots get to count as a vegetable.
Seriously?

Sounds like a long day!! Is what your doing part of the schooling your doing? Or work? I’m fairly new to the blog and I am very curious! 🙂 That dinner looks delicious. I think I need to start eating squash more! You eat the outside and all, right? Hope today is going well for you!

Hi Kath –
Congratulations on starting your internship! I am a dietitian and I work at a state agency that monitors child nutrition programs. I was so excited to see that school nutrition was your first rotation! I think you will love it – lunch ladies are a lot of fun! 😉 I have been following your blog for awhile now and it is great. Good luck to you!

I have been following your blog for some time not but have never posted. I felt compelled to when I saw the DOLE pineapples that you photographed at the school. I work for Dole, selling pineapple ( I know it sounds weird but it is a corporate sales position) and my sales are primarily to foodservice providers, some of which are right in that area. I was soooo excited to see my product at the destination of the final consumer. I love that I work for a company that support healthy eating and lifestyles and seeing my pineapple as a healthy choice in that school made my day!! 🙂

Hi, just came across your blog and read your bio… that is exactly what I’m about to embark on (HOPEFULLY!) I’m applying to Boston University’s didactic nutrition program (liberal arts graduate but biology degree) that is 2.5 years plus DI. I hope to be as successful as you 🙂

Umm..those school lunches have come a long way from when I was in high school. My private school was pretty small so they just ordered in pizza (from Dominos) and sold it by the slice and the public school I transferred to had really bad choices! Most of my friends ate Sunchips, bagels and cream cheese, Hot Pockets, pizza and pretzels with cheese for lunch because the hot lunch was so disgusting. Glad to see positive changes in how we feed growing minds and bodies!

Also…not to start any big discussion, but hang in there with Twilight. It’s not for everyone but once you get past the first book…Eclipse and Breaking Dawn (books 3 and 4) are my favorites! Twilight is a lot of introductory stuff and New Moon is emotionally draining but Meyers wrote Eclipse and Breaking Dawn first, then went back and wrote Twilight and New Moon so the first two books are like catchup, fill-in-the-blank for the series and might be why they are not as enthralling!

The Twilight books were some of the most poorly written books I’ve ever read – but I did read all four, b/c I was tired of not knowing what everyone was talking about. They are very quick reads. Adult women I work with (smart lawyers & paralegals) were absolutely obsessed and constantly referenced the story. I will say the author came up with a great, catchy plot! She obviously struck a major cord and I admire her for that.

I’m a bit behind in reading and commented, but couldn’t resist “back commenting” on your interesting internship. I’m a high school teacher at a rural high school in North Central Florida (outside of Gainesville) and it’s very interesting being around “school food” again after being outside the primary and secondary education systems for nearly 6 years before getting my teachers license.

Our district (I teach in the same district I was once a student in) has always done a great job with the low quality food they are allotted by the state budget and our cafeteria manger tries his best, but while the meals taste great they still aren’t always nutritionally sound. I try not to eat them much myself, because of hidden calories.

Have you gotten any actual budget info from these schools? What are they doing to actually buy fresh fruits and veggies? Especially in the middle of winter! That is awesome!

PS. Twilight is around a 7th grade reading level, fyi….the only book I genuinely enjoyed was Breaking Dawn…so good luck. New Moon was a highly entertaining movie, when you get there!